


Holding You Close to Me

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Fraxus [11]
Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Blood and Injury, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fraxus Day, Friendship/Love, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Missions Gone Wrong, Promises, Serious Injuries, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 06:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16529201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: They should never have split up. Now Freed is injured, and Laxus has to hold him, risking causing him more pain to stand a chance of bringing him home.(Written for Fraxus Day 18)





	Holding You Close to Me

It had been a bad idea to split up.

    Laxus had been reluctant from the start, unable to forget what had happened the last time he had left the others, but they’d had no choice when the attack had come in an unexpected two-pronged assault. As much as he wanted to put the Raijinshuu above all others, and as much as he needed to protect his mate, he knew that they had to protect the town, it didn’t mean he’d had to like it though. And he had refused to let the other three split up, knowing that they would protect each other and that Evergreen and Bickslow would hopefully be able to keep Freed from doing anything too reckless. Resolutely ignoring the fact that he was more reckless than his partner could ever be and knowing that he was likely to catch an earful for that decision when he caught up to them. Especially as he had been careful to give those orders while Freed had been busy erecting rune barriers to try and keep collateral damage to the minimum and he had been gone before he had finished.

    Still, if it had kept Freed safe, he wasn’t going to complain. Plus he was hoping that he was going to be able to use the fact that his left arm was hanging limply at his side – a blow that he hadn’t been able to dodge in time, leaving it throbbing and all but useless for half the fight – to stave off the Rune mage’s wrath.

If he could find him.

    He’d circled back to where he had left them, making sure that he hadn’t missed any of the group that had descended on the town, expecting to find them at least near to that point. However, while there was evidence that Freed was somewhere in the vicinity, as purple flashed between buildings that had taken some damage, but nothing compared to what they might have taken without the protective runes. There was no sign of him, or the other two, and Laxus couldn’t quell the uneasy feeling that was settling in the pit of his stomach.

“Freed!” He shouted, straining to hear a reply, but even with his enhanced hearing, he couldn’t pick anything out over the sound of rubble settling into place or the sounds of distant screams and fighting. _Wait…_ Snarling at himself he whirled, pain forgotten as he charged towards the distant sound of battle, realising that it was coming from further into the town than they’d anticipated the danger going, and he picked up the pace, knowing that if one thing had gone wrong then it was likely that other things had gone awry too.

And his mate was undoubtedly in the middle of it.

    It was at times like this when he envied Natsu and the others, whose senses were far more sensitive than even his enhanced ones. As more than once, he found himself taking a wrong turning, and he also had to retrace his steps at one point as he discovered a particularly strong rune barrier barring the path and he didn’t dare shatter his way through it in case it was tied to the others. He still hadn’t recovered from the four-hour lecture he’d received about how barriers worked, and how the destruction of one could bring the rest crumbling down after he’d unintentionally brought a city-wide barrier down to get to Freed during one mission. Personally, he’d thought that it was worth it, although he was wise enough not to voice that thought aloud anywhere that his mate could hear him.

    Still, by the time he finally caught a glimpse of the battle, he was on edge and wishing that he had just torn through it by force. He could make out several figures wearing the distinctive blood-red armour of the Hunter’s Guild they had been sent to stop, eyes narrowing as he realised that brought their numbers to nearly double what they had been led to expect when you included the ones he’d taken down, and he growled under his breath. He would be having strong words with the mayor once all this was over, not happy to realise they had been underprepared. However, that became a thought for later as he realised that of his teammates, the only one he could currently see was Bickslow as the Seith mage lit up the sky for a moment with the light of his Baryon formation, and the dread he had been feeling was bubbling up.

    Forgetting all about his injury he rushed forwards, thunder rumbling overhead as lightning flashed around him. Blood-red blocked his path, and without hesitation he lashed out, pouring more magic into the blow than was necessary and paying little mind to the still form he left behind, as continued towards Bickslow.

    The Seith Mage was a mess, his clothes showing the evidence of hard fighting and there was blood trickling from a nasty looking gash on his cheek. However, more alarming was that there was no sign of his usual grin. His mouth was a thin line, the usually lolling tongue hidden from sight, and there was a fierceness to his expression that Laxus recognised from other missions that had gone awry. Missions that had seen one or more of the others laid up with severe injuries and the dread became full-blown fear as he looked around, frantically searching for some sign of Evergreen or Freed. There was nothing, and his voice was more of a snarl than anything, as he took down another of their opponents on his way to the other man’s side.

“Bickslow!” Crimson eyes flew to meet his gaze before darting away again before any damage could be done, although Laxus still had to fight back a shiver, as just for a split second he had felt the tug of command against his limbs. He hadn’t realised the Seith mage was fighting without his helm, although it made sense considering the numbers, even though he knew Bickslow always worried about the risk that posed to his teammates. “Where are the others?” He would worry about what could have happened to him later when he wasn’t filled with an increasingly burning need to see his mate – not helped by the grimace that greeted his question, or the worry and fear that followed. “Bickslow?” He demanded, lightning lashing out and scorching the ground as he forced their opponents back, buying them precious seconds.

“Inside,” Bickslow tilted his head to the building behind them that the Dragon-slayer recognised as the town library as Freed had mentioned about visiting before they had to leave, always on the hunt for books even when they were in the middle of a job. The other man hesitated for a moment, before glancing at Laxus, careful not to completely meet his gaze. “Freed’s hurt.”

    Some part of him had been expecting it, Laxus realised, but that didn’t stop the snarl that bubbled up as lightning raked the ground around them. He faltered, torn between going to Freed and staying with Bickslow, and he was rewarded by an exasperated grin from the other man. “Go, they’re not going to get passed me. Right babies?”

“Right! Right!” The dolls echoed around him, and Laxus shook his head, not sure that he would ever get used to that. He looked at Bickslow, nodding his thanks before moving past him and heading for the door, trying not to imagine the glare he was sure Freed would be giving him if he knew that he was putting him first right now.

    There was a ward on the door, but it was so weak that all it took was the tiniest flicker of lightning before it crumpled, and the doors swung open. That did nothing to ease his concern, as he had seen Freed concussed and barely conscious, yet able to hold up a barrier that could keep most magic at bay and he sped up, barely aware of Bickslow’s raucous laughter from outside and the eerie chanting of the dolls as the Seith mage moved to cover his retreat.

“Freed!” He could smell his mate now, but it seemed to be all over the place, and he didn’t want to waste time searching the wrong area. His shout was followed by silence outside of the noise from outside, and a couple of minutes passed. He was just bracing himself to search the building when there was the patter of feet coming towards him, and he tensed, magic ready to lash out at the slightest hint of danger when Evergreen came into view.

“Laxus!” The impassive mask that she usually tried to keep up, even though she had softened considerably from before the Battle of Fairy Tail, was in tatters, her eyes frantic and suspiciously red as she reached him. “Hurry, we need your help…it’s Freed.” He didn’t argue, not even protesting as she seized his thankfully uninjured arm and began to drag him back the way she’d come, knowing that neither she nor Bickslow would ever make him worry unnecessarily about Freed, which meant that whatever it was bad.

“What the hell happened?” He demanded, hoping that she knew he wasn’t angry with them, but unable to control his tone at the moment, especially as he could feel her trembling. Something that only happened when things were bad, and their small family was threatened.

“We got separated.” Laxus wanted to growl at that, but he recognised those words – it meant that Freed had ordered them to stop protecting him, and silently he vowed to have strong words of his own with his mate, even though he knew Freed would have only ordered that if things had been going badly or… “He was protecting them,” Evergreen added softly as they turned into a corridor that was lined with townspeople, most of them children and Laxus closed his eyes for a second. _Or he had been trying to protect someone else._ Freed had always been the one to worry about the collateral damage their missions caused, and more than once he had flung himself directly into the path of an attack to protect a bystander, and it had become worse since they had reconciled with the guild and found their own way.

“How bad is…?” He didn’t get chance to finish the question, sharp ears picking up a soft whimper a few seconds before Evergreen guided him into a smaller reading room.

    The blood drained from his face as his eyes landed on the figure laid out on top of one of the desks, and he was barely aware of Evergreen releasing his arm as he moved forwards. Even from here he could smell the blood, and as he got closer, he realised that the left side of Freed’s shirt was completely soaked with it, his jacket lying off to the side in a similar state.

“Freed.” He made a pained noise as he closed the last few steps between them, reaching out to brush his fingers against a too pale cheek, realising that Freed was unconscious even as he tried to take stock of the damage, a growl bubbling up as he spied the bullet wounds beneath the ruined cloth. However, what really scared him was the dark lines that were spreading out from each wound. He was about to turn to Evergreen for answers, when Freed stirred, whimpering as he tossed his head fretfully from side to side. “Freed? Freed, I’m here, can you open your eyes for me?” He wasn’t sure that he wanted Freed awake to feel the full weight of this, but he wanted…needed to know that Freed was still here, and still fighting, and after a moment he was rewarded with the tiniest glimpse of turquoise

“La…?” It was little more than a breath of sound, but right then it was the best thing that the Dragon-slayer had ever heard, and he forced a smile, fingers curling against Freed’s cheek.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

    Freed’s lips seemed to quirk upwards a little at the confirmation, but any relief Laxus drew from the sight was short-lived as his partner’s expression went lax again, eyes slipping shut, as his breathing grew more ragged than before.

“Laxus,” Evergreen had been hovering, wanting to give them a moment, but now she came forward wringing her hands together. “We need to get the bullets out of him.” Laxus frowned at the urgency in her words, while he didn’t disagree, he was reluctant to do anything without a doctor or someone who knew what they were doing nearby.

“What is it?”

“I’m not sure, but I think it’s similar to the magic barrier particles Tempesta used.” Laxus tensed at the mention of the demon, and from the haunted look in Evergreen’s eyes, she was remembering the same suffocating sensation of being cut off from her magic. “The bullets went straight through Freed’s barrier, it’s why he used himself to shield some of the kids and…”

“Get them out,” Laxus cut her off, trembling at the thought of his mate deliberately putting himself in the path of something like that, and he knew that Freed would have connected the dots before acting. Worse, he knew that they should have been expecting. Hunter’s guilds had been becoming worryingly more common, going after the magical population and continually trying to find new ways to get around the abilities of the various mages they hunted – but to go this far… he itched to head outside and hunt down every last one of them, but before he could give in to the urge, Evergreen had grasped his arm again.

“You’ll need to hold him.”

     A wild, desperate part of him want to say no – because he knew that she meant that he was going to have to hold him down. That he was going to have to add to the pain Freed was going to be in, a thought that brought bile to his mouth, even though he knew it was necessary. “Fine, get what you need.” He didn’t even know if that was going to be possible given where they were, but he trusted her, and the resolve in her face as she bolted from the room to find what they needed.

    Taking a deep breath leant over Freed, studying him intently, trying to tell himself that he wasn’t drinking in the sight and scent of his mate in case something went wrong. _I can’t lose him._ They hadn’t had nearly enough time yet, especially with his earlier rebellion and refusal to admit what lay between them, and the thought of having this snatched away from him left him cold. “Freed,” he murmured, disappointed and relieved when there was no response because he knew that he definitely didn’t want his mate to be awake for what they were going to do. Still, the silence grated on him, and he found himself reaching out, letting green strands run between his fingers before lifting them to his lips. “You’re going to be okay.” He wasn’t sure which of them he was trying to reassure, and as he heard movement outside, he leant close, pressing a kiss to Freed’s temple. “I promise.”

“They didn’t have much,” Evergreen was back, looking more stressed than she had a few minutes before, swallowing thickly as she glanced at Freed. “We…” _Should wait,_ the words trailed off as Laxus shook his head.

“We can’t,” he whispered, leaning back to let her see Freed’s wounds and her protests faded as she realised that the markings had spread farther, and they were turning darker with each second that passed.

“All right,” Evergreen took a deep breath, slowly her pulling her expression back to one of calmness, although it was ruined by the fear in her eyes as she stepped closer. “Can you hold him, this isn’t going to be pleasant…”

   That was the understatement of the year Laxus thought, nodding as he moved into position, murmuring an apology to Freed as he grasped him, ignoring the pain that flared up his arm at the movement and waving off Evergreen’s concerned glance. Freed didn’t stir, the stillness more terrifying than the blood, because Freed was never still – he hated not being busy, always doing something, and even when he was reading or working on spells he was on the move, fingers dancing against the book cover or curling against the hilt of his sword.

He wasn’t meant to be still.

“Ready,” he looked at Evergreen, who had lost all the colour in her face as she leant over Freed, fingers trembling as she pulled the ruined shirt out of the way, revealing the bullet wounds in all their glory and a growl bubbled up in his chest. _I could have lost him,_ the realisation was only just setting in, and he pulled his partner closer, burying his lips into the unusually messy green hair. _Don’t you dare give up Freed,_ he pleaded silently as Evergreen cautiously set to work.

   Neither of them spoke as she worked – Evergreen too focused on what she was doing, and Laxus lacking words for anyone other than Freed who was thankfully still unconscious, although his brow had furrowed at some point, his head turned towards Laxus as he subconsciously sought out the offered comfort.

*

“They’re in so deep,” Evergreen’s voice sounded uncommonly loud in the silence, and Laxus jolted, startled out of his single-minded focus on the soft sound of Freed’s increasingly ragged breathing. “I…” Her words were cut off when Freed shifted, the furrow in his brow deepening as his expression contorted pain, and then he was moving, becoming more agitated as he realised that he was being restrained and she cursed as her tentative grip on the first bullet was lost. “Hold him!” If anything, her voice only seemed to alarm Freed further, and he cried out, and they both felt his magic flare out briefly, but it was a weak echo of its usual strength, and it dissipated as his eyes flew open.

“Freed,” Laxus immediately leant into view as he saw the panic in the unfocused turquoise, voice dropping to the soft tone that was solely reserved for his mate. “Freed, look at me.” Freed shook his head, weakly batting at the arms holding him in place and trying to twist to see what the cause of the pain was, and Evergreen was forced to pause, not wanting to cause unnecessary danger. “Freed!” He hated raising his voice to his partner, especially when Freed flinched, not understanding what was going on, but it got his attention, and Freed’s eyes slowly tracked upwards.  

“L-Laxus...?” It took a moment before recognition flickered across his face, and there was a hint of relief in his expression before it crumpled once more. “…hurts.”

“I know,” Laxus murmured, heart, aching at the small voice. “I’m sorry, but we need to get the bullets out.

“No,” Freed muttered, shaking his head as he felt Evergreen’s fingers tentatively brushing against the edge of one of the wounds, and he tried to escape, seeming to forget that it was Laxus holding him as he began to bat at the arms holding him once more. “No…nonono…”

“Laxus!”

“I know, I’ve got him,” Laxus steeled himself, taking a deep breath as he took a firmer hold of his mate, forcing himself to harden his heart against the broken protests. _I’m sorry Freed, I hope you forgive me for this later._ “Go,” he nodded to Evergreen once he was sure that Freed wasn’t going anywhere. As she set to work again, he dropped his head to rest against Freed’s, beginning to talk to him in a low voice. He didn’t talk about anything of consequence, knowing how private his partner was even around his teammates, instead, he rambled about this and that, aware that the words didn’t matter right now and that it was the tone that would get through to Freed.

     It took several minutes before Freed seemed to start listening to him, his struggles trailing off, but Laxus wasn’t sure whether his voice had finally managed to reach him or if he had just reached exhaustion point. However, his gaze slowly drifted back up towards him, slightly more focused than before, the pain breaking through whatever haze he’d been in.

“You’re…hurt,” Freed’s voice cracked just as Evergreen cursed, and he seemed to lose the last little bit of colour he’d been clinging to, and he jack-knifed, bucking against the pain, although his gaze managed to linger on Laxus. The Dragon-slayer was torn between his fear and concern over the pain his mate was in, and frustrated amusement that the first thing Freed had managed to focus on was the fact that Laxus was injured.

“It’s nothing,” he finally replied, realising that Freed was still waiting for a response even through the pain. “I’m more worried about you.”

“I’m…” Laxus scowled, knowing precisely what word was going to follow, but he was spared from snarling at his partner when there was a triumphant noise from Evergreen a split second before Freed bucked up off the desk with a sharp cry. Caught by surprise, Laxus couldn’t avoid the fist that collided with his chin – the blow was weak enough not to cause any damage, but it startled him enough to make him loosen his grip, and as exhausted and wounded as he was, Freed seized the opportunity to escape.

“Freed!” The Rune mage stumbled and fell as he hit the ground, his legs refusing to support his weight, but the comprehension had disappeared from his gaze, his eyes darting around wildly, darkness seeping into his left eye and Laxus cursed.  “Freed, it’s us. We’re just trying to help you.” There was no way they could Freed when he was in this state, but if he lost control, they would have no choice but to defend themselves because Freed would never forgive himself if he hurt them. The darkness was spreading, seemingly unaffected by the words, and Laxus waved Evergreen back as she tried to move forward to help him. “Freed, please don’t do this.”

    Freed’s entire eye had gone dark when he abruptly went taut, and Laxus doubted he would ever forget the howl of pain that followed, the black lines on his partner’s chest seeming to pulsate for a moment before Freed slumped as he fell unconscious once more. Laxus cursed as he darted across to him, scooping his mate into his arms, before turning to look at Evergreen with frantic eyes.

“I got one of them out,” she was quick to reassure him as she waved for him to set Freed back on the desk, only the tremble in her hand betraying how shaken she was. “Look at this,” she added once Freed was settled once more, holding out the bloody bullet she had managed to dig out, keeping it carefully cradled in her coat to stop it from touching her skin. Laxus growled at the sight of it, seeing the mist that danced around it and feeling an echo of the burning ache that had consumed him the last time he had been around these particles. However, his attention was quickly caught by a familiar flicker of purple light around the bullet, and as he watched it formed into a familiar rune and then another before fading from sight and his eyebrows rose.

“Runes?”

“He managed to contain the particles,” Evergreen shook her head, disbelief written across her face as she stared at Freed for a moment. “I…” _Shouldn’t really be surprised…_

“That’s my Freed,” Laxus said, hearing the unspoken words. Later, when Freed was on the mend, and they were safely at home, he would say more, knowing that there were very few mages who could hold back these particles and even less who could do it while as badly injured. For now though, it was hard for him to care about anything but making sure that he got that later and he moved back into position, his arm throbbing now, as he grasped his partner and held him in place. “Again.”

*

    The second bullet was buried more deeply, and Laxus could see sweat beading on Evergreen’s forehead, her hands covered in blood as it slipped out of her grasp once more. He was about to offer to help, although he doubted he would be able to do a better job when there was movement in the doorway, and he twisted, lightning crackling around his fingers in preparation for an attack, only to come up short as an exhausted Bickslow stepped into view.

“The Rune Knights have arrived and are wrapping things up,” the Seith mage announced, not bothering to hide his disdain for the Council forces before his gaze shifted to Freed, lips twisting downwards as he realised Freed was unconscious. “How is…?” Evergreen’s triumphant shout interrupted his question, and they both turned to look as she finally managed to ease the second bullet out, weary relief written across her face as she gently set them both aside, carefully wrapped in her coat until they could be disposed of safely.

“Thank you,” Laxus breathed, able to see how much it had taken out of her, even as he moved to gather Freed up in his arms as he looked at Bickslow. “Please tell me they at least brought healers?” There were doctors in the town, but he doubted they had experience with magical injuries and even though he could already see the black lines were retreating, he wasn’t about to risk it, and he was relieved when Bickslow nodded. He ducked his head, pressing a kiss to Freed’s temple as he held him close, biting back the pain of his own injury as his partner’s weight tugged on his arm, refusing to even consider letting one of the others take him.

_You’re safe now._

 


End file.
